Dolphins vs. Jaguars: Miami stock watch following Preseason Week 3 loss

The Miami Dolphins lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night, closing out the preseason with a performance that was largely a disappointment. While the results of the game, including its 31-18 scoreline, do not matter in the long run, the Dolphins’ struggles against the run and with depth does open more questions as the start of the regular season looms just two weeks away.

It was not all bad during the game, but Dolphins fans probably do not come away from last night’s contest feeling great about the team. We take a look back at last night’s game and see who saw their stock rise or fall during the game.

Stock Up: Robbie Chosen, wide receiver

Chosen started in place of Jaylen Waddle, paired with Tyreek Hill at the start of the game. He played 17 snaps and was targeted three times, pulling in one pass for 15 yards. It was not a dominating performance for Chosen, but he has felt like a forgotten member of the receiving corps this summer, yet there he was starting on Saturday.

Chosen provides a veteran depth option for the receiver group. Getting to start in place of Waddle on Saturday would seem to signal the coaches expect that role from him this year. It would also seem to indicate he is safely on the roster, despite the feeling that he is a bubble player.

Stock Down: Skylar Thompson, quarterback

NFL teams are going to keep three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster this year to take advantage of the new emergency quarterback rule this year. Teams are allowed to bring a third quarterback into a game should both of the first two quarterbacks get injured, even if the third passer is listed as inactive for the game. The only caveat is, the third quarterback must be on the 53-man roster, not on the practice squad and elevated for the game. That rule looked like it would have Miami keep Tua Tagovailoa, Mike White, and Thompson. Last night’s game put Thompson back on the roster bubble and could have the team looking for a veteran option to serve as the third passer.

Thompson looked like he was pressing, wanting to make an impression early in the game and it backfired. He threw two bad interceptions on his first three pass attempts. He finished the night 15-for-24 for 135 yards with the two interceptions, giving him a 42.9 passer rating. He did settle in and find some comfort during the game, but for a player who was considered in a position battle with White to be the primary backup quarterback to finish the game in danger of being on the wrong side of the cut line is quite a dramatic stock tumble.

Stock Up: Eli Apple, cornerback

Jalen Ramsey’s knee injury that will likely sideline him until December threw open the door to a position battle at the second cornerback spot. The focus throughout much of the summer was on Kader Kohou, Noah Igbinoghene, and Cam Smith, with veteran Eli Apple the fourth member of what seemed like a three-man race. On Saturday, Apple took his spot in the starting lineup and looked like the player most likely to start opposite Xavien Howard.

Kohou seems set to be the nickel cornerback, working as the slot cornerback. Smith continues to develop and could see his playing time grow during the year, but he made mistakes and looked like a rookie on Saturday. Igbinoghene continues to grow but he is inconsistent. That leaves Apple, who brings a solid, veteran-level play to the defense. On Saturday, Apple, who was signed by Miami after Ramsey’s injury, saw his stock rise and likely locked himself in to the second cornerback position.

Stock Down: Connor Williams, center

This is really based on one snap, but wow was it a bad snap. Miami opened the game with a 32-yard gain as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw a slant to wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Hill turned up field and Miami jumped into Jaguars territory in one play. On the next play, Williams sailed the snap over Tagovailoa’s head, leading to a 25-yard loss and effectively ending the first possession for Miami, who could not overcome the loss.

Williams has been a solid center for a year now, but snapping issues have crept up at times. On Saturday, those issues made themselves known. Williams only played 17 snaps, along with most of the starting offensive line, but it is concerning that, as the regular season is approaching, snapping is still an issue.

Stock Up: Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler

Two of the Dolphins’ three starting defensive linemen did not play in the game and their absence was clearly felt. Miami allowed the Jaguars to run the ball straight down their throat and had no answer to slowing them down. Without Wilkins and Sieler on the line, the Dolphins defense simply could not play up to full speed.

On Sunday, the Dolphins agreed to a three-year contract extension with Sieler. Wilkins is still “holding in” as he looks for his own new contract with the team. After the defense’s struggles against Jacksonville, the team should be motivated to finally get that deal done.

Miami may have been playing a vanilla defensive scheme in the final preseason game, but they should have been able to stop a ground attack straight up the middle of the defense. Wilkins and Sieler are clearly needed pieces on the defense. They both saw their stock rise without taking a snap.

Stock Down: Secondary depth

In 2022, the Dolphins struggled with injuries to their secondary. Byron Jones, Trill Williams, Brandon Jones, Elijah Campbell, Keion Crossen, Clayton Fejedelem, Xavien Howard, Kader Kohou, Nik Needham, and Eric Rowe all missed at least some playing time due to injury last season. In 2023, they are again struggling with injuries, with the newly acquired Jalen Ramsey out until December, Jones has not yet been cleared to practice, Williams is making a move from cornerback to safety and is still working his way back to 100 percent health, and Campbell sustained an apparent leg injury on Saturday. Miami is already starting to see the 2022 injury bug creep into the 2023 roster.

The Dolphins need to get healthy at cornerback and safety, however, they do that. The team has to consider watching the waiver wire as roster cuts begin to see if there is someone else they should add to the roster to provide depth.